Previewing the Relationship
The silver screen industry was actually a small circle. If you offended a bigshot director and you didn’t have a strong background, it was basically equivalent to being blacklisted by the mainstream silver screen industry. You would not have the chance to participate in some big productions and work with famous directors. However, if someone was willing to help you get into this small circle, it would definitely be helpful for your future opportunities because these big directors all liked to use acquaintances or people recommended by acquaintances. They rarely used unfamiliar actors because they didn’t need big-name stars to carry their movies. On the contrary, their movies could make actors famous. Therefore, they always chose actors based on their own preferences rather than their fame.
Upon hearing that Director Li recommended her for the audition, Su Shen was also surprised. With this, he was slowly leading her into the circle of famous directors, which was an opportunity that many people could not even dream of.
Hearing what He Hua just said, Su Shen simply responded with a soft “en”.
“By the way, you guys’ drama will start airing at the beginning of next month. I think we should warm up your guys’ relationship in advance so that when it’s announced, it wouldn’t be abrupt. Moreover, it can provide free publicity for the drama. What do you think?” He Hua suddenly suggested.
Hearing this, Su Shen was speechless. This guy really knew how to cut promotion costs. But she didn’t have any strong opinions on the matter, as she believed that someone as experienced as He Hua would handle things appropriately.
“What kind of hype do you have in mind?” Su Shen asked as she closed her laptop and crawled into bed.
Hearing this, a solemn voice sounded from the other end of the line. “What do you mean by hype? You guys aren’t hyping a CP. This is just making the most of the situation. When the time comes, as long as you guys interact more on Weibo, show a little ambiguity, such as posting couple outfits and couple phone cases, and leave the rest for others to guess. Do you still need me to teach you, youngsters, this kind of thing?”
He Hua’s voice was full of doubt. These two didn’t even know how to flirt properly. All they knew was getting caught by the paparazzi. They didn’t have any of the romance that youngsters should have.
Upon hearing his words, Su Shen didn’t know what to say. She and Xie Yan didn’t have any couple outfits or phone cases at all. It was too cringy.
“I… I’ll consider it with Xie Yan. Alright, I need to rest now,” said Su Shen and hung up soon after as the person on the other end went silent.
She lay in bed, with one arm out and exposed to the cool air blowing from the AC. After a moment of contemplation and feeling that Xie Yan must still be awake, she decided to send him a message, telling him what He Hua suggested.
Su Shen: What do you think of buying the same phone case?
After a while, a message was sent over by the other end.
Xie Yan: I prefer matching rings.
Turning off her phone, Su Shen blushed and pretended not to have seen the message before going to sleep. This man really didn’t miss any opportunity to tease her.
A few days later, Su Shen heard from He Hua that Xie Yan had gone abroad to film. Su Shen didn’t contact him, but she looked forward to him coming back to see her. This must be what it feels like to be in love, right?
—Mid-Month—
When the awards ceremony came around, He Hua accompanied Su Shen to attend the event. In the past, she would walk the red carpet with the rest of the cast, but this time, she walked alone. It wasn’t toward the end, walking after Li Xue, but before Yang Zhi. Ultimately, although her popularity and clout weren’t bad, it was still not stable. If her next drama was a hit, only then could she be considered to have truly entered the ranks of A-list starlets.
“I asked you guys to flirt, didn’t I? How come there’s been no interactions? Don’t tell me that I have to teach you how to do it?” said He Hua, turning back to look at her as they waited in the car for the red carpet.
As their eyes met, Su Shen looked down in embarrassment. What could she do? Right now, Xie Yan enjoyed teasing her, asking if she missed him every time they talked. She was afraid to even chat with him now.
“This… no need to rush, I know what to do,” replied Su Shen calmly.
Hearing this, He Hua just glanced at her without saying anything. These two really made him feel exasperated. When they should show PDA, they didn’t; when they shouldn’t, they insisted on doing so. In the end, he’s the one who has to worry.
Since it was quite boring, Su Shen wanted to take a selfie and post it online. She was wearing a white cocktail dress today. Although it was simple, it was well-fitted. It was styled by the top styling team that He Hua had hired, and the outfit was tailored according to her opinions and figure. Su Shen was quite satisfied with the result, so after taking a selfie and adding a filter, she posted it on Weibo.
Su Shen V: Entering the venue soon~ [photo]
After posting the selfie, a staff member outside informed them that it was almost her turn, so Su Shen had to put away her phone and get out of the car.
Walking the red carpet alone for the first time, Su Shen could clearly feel that there were more reporters calling out to her to look their way. She kept smiling, and when she reached the middle, the hostess asked her to go over for a bit.
“Su Shen, your hit drama just recently finished airing, and I heard that you have two more dramas to be released this year. You’re gonna dominate the screen~” The hostess laughed jokingly.
Facing so many cameras around her, Su Shen just smiled slightly, then held the microphone and joked with the hostess, “That’s why sometimes I think I’m going crazy.”
At this, the hostess laughed again and said, “Everyone says that your acting has improved so quickly. Are you happy to see it yourself?”
The cameras around her were still flashing, and occasionally, there were cameramen asking her to look at the camera. However, with so many cameras around her, Su Shen could only answer the hostess’ question for now, “I don’t think it’s the best, only better. I will continue to work hard and not let myself stay stagnant.”
Afterward, the hostess asked a few more questions before leaving Su Shen to pose for some photos alone before making her way toward the inside of the venue.
She was sitting with Li Xue and Ye Qianqian. Beside Li Xue was Yang Zhi and beside Ye Qianqian was Mu Yao. As Mu Yao and Yang Zhi didn’t get along, they could not sit together. Li Xue and Mu Yao also couldn’t sit together because they didn’t get along. Ye Qianqian and Yang Zhi didn’t get along either, so they couldn’t sit together. Su Shen and Yang Zhi had conflicting interests, so the production team separated their seats. Just with these few seat arrangements, the intricate and complex relationships and conflicts could not be fully described. As the seats were close to each other, it was inevitable that people would compare who was more beautiful, and this would lead to catfights among fans.
Li Xue’s look today was unremarkable but not ugly, while Yang Zhi went for a more mature look with a blazer dress, giving off an intellectual vibe. Ye Qianqian opted for a girly girl look, wearing a pinky A-line dress that looked quite ethereal. On the other hand, Mu Yao’s look was a bit of a failure, exposing her thick calves, and her black lace dress appeared somewhat outdated. However, she would probably photoshop later. Each studio has a dedicated photo editor, and the salaries of top photo editors were also quite high.
When Su Shen took her seat, Li Xue was already sitting there. Shortly after, Ye Qianqian also arrived. Su Shen had met Ye Qianqian on the reality show before, they were not close, but they could still chat.
“Su Shen, what kind of mask do you usually use? You’re so fair.” Ye Qianqian started chatting with her out of boredom.
Women usually chatted about these kinds of topics, especially in the entertainment industry where appearance was highly valued. Su Shen just smiled at the question and whispered, “I usually don’t use masks, but I pay attention to applying sunscreen. The effect of most sunscreens is average, but I know of an Australian brand of sunscreen that’s not bad. I’ll send it to you later.”
“Ok, I thought you had some brightening methods too. Look at how tanned I am, I even want to go get a whitening injection,” joked Ye Qianqian. She really envied people with fair skin, especially those like Su Shen who were both fair and slim, which made others jealous.
Su Shen just smiled upon hearing that. By this time, Mu Yao and Yang Zhi had also arrived. Once they had all taken their seats, Yang Zhi seemed to strike up a conversation with Li Xue in order to avoid being alone. This left Mu Yao somewhat isolated, but she wasn’t one to sit idle. She immediately began chatting with an actress in the row behind her.
There was drama even if women weren’t speaking. People sitting around them could clearly feel the invisible war between these women.
After the award ceremony began, Su Shen stopped chatting with Ye Qianqian and instead went on her phone. She noticed that Xie Yan had commented on her Weibo post.
Thinking it was a fake account, she clicked on it to check. But with that 70 million follower count, it was evident that it was his real account. For a moment, Su Shen even suspected that it was He Hua who had commented. However, from the tone of the comment, she knew it was Xie Yan himself.
Xie Yan V: Got it. //@Su Shen: Entering the venue soon~ [photo]
Netizen A: This…. scared me, I thought it was a fake account. [joy]
Netizen B: OP, you’re not alone. This awkward chatting tone of Yan ge’s, it must be him. [joy]
Netizen C: They actually… interacted???
Netizen D: Xie Yan and Su Shen have worked together in a drama. They are great friends, thank you. [smiley face]
Netizen E: AHAHAHA, with that awkward chatting tone, Yan ge, you can easily lose friends. [joy]
Su Shen felt helpless. She knew from the tone that it was definitely Xie Yan himself. He actually had the time to comment on her post, he really did as He Hua instructed. However, Su Shen was very worried because she didn’t fully trust Xie Yan, and had a feeling that he might post something unexpected. After all, he was a repeat offender.
At this time, the award ceremony had started awarding awards, and the camera would sweep a shot of the audience from time to time, so Su Shen put away her phone and watched the stage.
Wang Cheng was also in attendance, but he sat on the other side and received the award for “Media’s Most Noticed Actor”. When it was time for the “Outstanding & Popularity Award”, the camera would sweep a shot of their row of people from time to time.
The award presenter was still warming up the stage. Ye Qianqian, on the other hand, jokingly whispered to her in a good mood, “If you win it, you’ll definitely anger a lot of people to death.”
Knowing who she was alluding to, Su Shen smiled and said nothing. Li Xue, beside her, remained indifferent. Since her news media index wasn’t high, she knew she wouldn’t have a chance at the award. On either side, Yang Zhi and Mu Yao also remained indifferent. This award was actually just for the fans, so they would have more confidence when arguing with other fans in the future.
“The winner of the 28th TV Drama Outstanding & Popularity Award is…” The female presenter glanced at the winner card and then looked down at the group of actors below before saying into the microphone, “Su Shen!”
